Chapter 31: Western Society and Eastern Europe in the Decades of the Cold War

Demystified Reading p. 373-374

After World War II: A New International Setting for the

West

For a few years after 1945, recovery in Europe seemed impossible.

Western governments retained cultural relations and sometimes provided administrative and military help in their former colonies.

There was conflict between the USA and USSR between 1945-1947, as the USSR occupied many eastern European countries.

The Eastern Bloc emerged: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.

Read Demystified p. 376-379

• Take notes on how Communism Spreads through Eastern Europe:

After World War II: An Iron Curtain Descends

The phrase “iron curtain” was used to describe the division between free and repressed societies in Europe.

• Winston Churchill dubs the separation between East and West as an Iron Curtain with Germany as a focal point.

• To the East-Communist, supportive of the USSR, to the West, Capitalist/Democratic, supportive of the USA

• To Halt the further spread of communism, the USA enacts the Marshall Plan to rebuild war torn Europe

• The Truman Doctrine outlined the help the US would offer according the the policy of containment

The USA proclaimed the Marshall Plan (1947), a program of loans that were designed to aid Western nations rebuild from the war and prevent Communism expansion into those regions.

Germany was divided into four zones; a zone was occupied by the USA, Britain, France and the USSR.

Demystified Reading p. 379 “Germany”

Cold War Alliances:In 1947, the USSR blockaded Western powers from establishing a stable currency and the USA responded with a massive airlift to keep the city supplied.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed in 1949 as a defense alliance against possible Soviet aggression.

The USSR established the Warsaw Pact with its eastern European satellite countries and created a new communist empire.

The USSR and USA began stock-piling nuclear weapons.

• Rivalry would intensify with the USSR’s successful detonation of an atomic bomb in 1949, launching an arms race, later a space race.

• The Cold War gets hot with the invasion of South Korea by communist North Korea

• The policy of containment would spread around the globe: southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America

The “U.S. Century”• The US became the world’s leading defender

of democratic and capitalistic values. • Red Scare: period of intense concern for

communist conspiracies.• Truman Doctrine (1947): provide military and

financial aide to Greece and Turkey to prevent them from falling into Soviet Sphere• Policy of containment (arranging alliances

with countries, specifically those that surrounded the USSR, to prevent the spread of Communism)

• US military spending increased dramatically.• Vietnam War (1956-1975)

• US began bombing communist North Vietnam.

• Domestic pressure mounted esp. on college campuses

• US withdrew in 1975 and all of Vietnam was communist.

Soviet Union as Superpower

• The Soviet Union was able to build its status as a world power from 1945-1970s by: 1. Pushing westward and regaining much of its

tsarist-era territory through the Eastern Bloc2. Concentrating on heavy industry and weapons

development (esp. for brinkmanship tensions)a) Development of hydrogen and atomic bombs

3. Aiding other Communistsa) establishing a protectorate over communist

North Koreab) aiding the Communist party in China

Story time p. 390-391 “Soviet Leadership

After Stalin”

Khrushchev (1956-1964)

• 1953: After Stalin’s death, a ruling committee continued Stalin’s policies until Nikita Khrushchev rose to power in the USSR.

• De-Stalinization: easing up on Stalin’s policies and the creation of a more tolerant political climate in the USSR.• Little concrete institutional reform occurred, but

regime becomes slightly less extreme and strict.• 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis

• USSR installed missiles in Cuba to taunt the United States.

• Tension between US (Kennedy) and USSR• Brinkmanship: being on the edge of war without

engaging in battle to force opponent to back down

• Space Race: Sputnik, first space satellite, was sent into space in 1957 by USSR.• 1969: US lands astronauts on moon

The Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe

and Korea• 1961: The Soviets built the Berlin Wall to halt the widespread exodus from East Berlin to West Berlin. • Nov. 9, 1989: Berlin Wall brought down

• 1968: Prague Spring (Czechoslovakia stands up to USSR; USSR invades)

• Soviet control over Eastern Europe loosened over the years, but the USSR still maintained considerable influence over Europe.

• Korean War (1950-1953)• North Koreans invade South Korea

• North backed by USSR and Communist China

• South backed by US and UN• War ends; boundaries kept essentially

along original line (38th parallel)

USSR’s Policies and Culture• The USSR encouraged nationalism and communist

loyalty against the evil and distorted US.• Remained isolated in terms of access to media,

travel• USSR criticized religion and Russian Orthodox

Church as mythical and preposterous.• Great emphasis on sciences; Western art and

literature criticized.• Consumerism was not seen in the USSR like it

was in the West. • The USSR rebuilt following World War II and

maintained strong government authority. • The bureaucracy expanded in terms of

education, welfare and police operations. • The communist system did not resolve problems

with agriculture.• Welfare services for sick and aged• Industrialization: heavy factory goods >

consumer goods

Reagan and Conservative Politics

• Western nations saw economic recessions in the 1970s, causing interest in conservative parties and leaders in the 1980s (Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher).

• 1981-1989: Reagan, US President, sponsored a number of expansive weapons systems and bolstered military spending. • Criticized welfare programs• Economic growth increased

• The economy of the USSR, attempting to keep pace with the weapons-production of the US, almost collapsed.

• By the early 1990’s, the Cold War was virtually over and the US was “the world’s only superpower.”

Creating Western Stability• WWII showed failures of fascist movements

increase in democratic interests and social reforms• Italy established a constitutional

democracy. • Western Europe saw a movement toward

welfare states by 1948 (incredibly expensive; rely on taxes)

• 1975: Helsinki Accords (attempt to improve relations between Eastern Bloc and the West)

• U.S. civil rights movements in the 1960’s. • Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks,

Malcom X, Black Power• Green Movements (1970s): a rise in

environmental issues and initiatives to lead to increased agricultural production.

Story Time p. 386-387 “The United States:

The Civil Rights Movement”

European Union (1993 – present)

• 1958: West Ger, Fr, It, Bel, Lux, and Neth) formed European Economic Community (EEC)

• 1993: called European Union (28 member states). • 1) foster economic cooperation

• 2001: the Euro, a single currency for all EU members, was established (not all use).

• 2) end frequent and bloody wars between neighbors

• 3) Abolition of border controls between EU countries

• 4) promote human rights both internally and around the world.

• Attempt to unify Europe (keep own sovereignty, but provides political and economic unity)

Story Time p. 395 “The European Union”

Western Economic and Technological Expansion

• Economies in Western Europe expanded in the 1950’s.

• Europe saw an influx in immigrant labor from Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

• Ownership of standard consumer goods, like televisions, refrigerators, and cars, expanded widely.

• New seeds increased agricultural yields• 1950s: Discovery of DNA by British

scientists Francis Crick and James Watson interest in genetics; x-rays, ultrasound, immunizations

• Economic inequality was seen in the 1990’s as many immigrants experienced discrimination and low wage employment.

Second-Wave Feminism (1960s-1980s)• 1950s: number of working women

increased• Family rights increased (access to

divorce, abortion laws, birth control, day care). • Birth rates declined steadily after the

1960s with accessible birth control.• 1966: National Organization for Women

(NOW) introduced to advocate for women’s rights

• 1970’s: women had 44% of total jobs in Western countries; divorce increases as family roles adjusted to women working

• 1970s: Second-wave feminism emerged; emphasized equality between men and women; downplayed domestic roles; advocated for women’s sexual/reproductive rights (Roe v. Wade, protects abortion rights)

Western Pop Culture• Abstract Expressionism: spontaneous, subconscious

art-making• “Pop” artists bridged the gap between art and

mass culture (Andy Warhol). • Early 1950s: “Crooners” (Frank Sinatra, Nat

King Cole, Judy Garland)• Mid-1950s: Rock-n-Roll (Elvis Presley)• 1960s: Folk music; Woodstock Festival; hippies• In Europe, “Coca-Cola-nization” was seen

(interest in American pop culture)• US soft drinks, blue jeans, chewing gum,

TV, and Hollywood film became increasingly common.

• European pop culture had its own power in the US: the most celebrated figures of the 1960’s were The Beatles.

Chapter 31 Discussion Questions

How did Europe adjust to its loss of world dominance after World War II?

What hostilities led to the Cold War?

Describe the significance of NATO and the Warsaw Pact?

How did the United States respond to the threat of communism?

What changes were seen with women in the West after World War II?

Why was the Berlin Wall built?

Give examples of Soviet culture after World War II.